SHARKS’ dislike of very deep water may be threatening their very survival.
Recent expeditions to the abyssal plains of the world’s oceans, combined with records dating back 150 years, suggest that sharks and rays have not colonised any waters deeper than about 3000 metres, says a team led by Monty Priede at the University of Aberdeen, UK (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3461). This may make the creatures more vulnerable to over-exploitation than had been thought, as it puts all their habitats within reach of commercial fishing fleets.
Researchers working for the International Council for the Exploration…
